Home is where the heart is

A romantic sunset photo shoot gave newlyweds Georgia Odgers and Tom Vibert important time to reflect on their special day, on their own.

They managed to slip away from their reception and the busy-ness of the day to spend some time together, to talk and take in the magic of the occasion.

“You spend so much of the day catching up with your guests and getting ready for the day that it was important to take a short amount of time away from everything together,” Georgia said.

Georgia’s event management skills and first-hand experience with various suppliers helped realise the couple’s vision for a unique and personal celebration on the bride’s parents’ property Lagoona Farm at Ardmona.

“We were really aware of ensuring the styling fit in with the surroundings of the farm,” Georgia said.

“Neither of us likes a lot of attention, so we just wanted to create an atmosphere where everyone felt relaxed, along with us, so we could enjoy the day.”

Natural furnishings crafted from timber, native flowers and fabric-topped hay bales, arranged as seating for the ceremony, embraced the relaxed vibe and having the ceremony and reception at the same place allowed guests to mingle, instead of moving from one venue to another.

Pops of navy, to match the bridesmaids’ dresses, were reflected in numerous styling elements such as the invitations, seating plan, menus and table napkins.

Georgia and Tom, who met at a Tatura sporting function in 2014, loved the idea of their home-based wedding, for both practicality and for enabling family and friends to celebrate long into the star-filled night.

“Having the ceremony and reception in the same location made the set-up and pack-up a lot easier, and our suppliers loved the fact that everything and everyone was in the same spot,” Georgia said.

“And as we didn’t have to be ‘kicked out’ of a venue, our guests could party into the early hours, and so did we!”

When Bendigo-based band The Knots finished playing at 12.30am a prepared playlist took over and kept revellers entertained until the bride and groom exited two hours later.